Bazley's journey to the NBA was an unconventional one. He originally committed to play at Syracuse as a five-star recruit out of high school before electing to bypass college and play in the G League. He then elected to bypass the G League and interned at New Balance to go along with his endorsement deal. Even though he spent a year away from competitive basketball, Bazley's physical tools are enough for him to remain an intriguing prospect. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan, Bazley boasts the frame of a prototypical versatile forward in today's NBA, but he has a long way to go as a fairly raw prospect. Given the number of versatile athletes Oklahoma City already has on its roster, it may be a year or two before Bazley becomes a reliable contributor at the next level. He was also underwhelming at summer league, averaging 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks across 21.7 minutes in four appearances. Read Past Outlooks

$Signed a two-year, $4.68 million contract with the Thunder in July of 2019.

Personal Bio

Darius Denayr Bazley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in June of 2000. Bazley started his high school hoops career at Finneytown High School in Springfield Township, Ohio. After a transfer, he eventually starred for Cincinnati's Princeton High School basketball club, earning Ohio Division 1 All-State First Team and All-Ohio USA Today First Team honors as a senior. Bazley enjoys listening to Earth, Wind and Fire. His favorite movie is "Green Book", and he is a big fan of the Houston Texans. Bazely enjoys watching HGTV and considers interior decorating his hidden talent. Follow him on Instagram (@dariusbazley).

College/International Summary

Bazley's journey to the NBA was an unconventional one. He originally committed to play at Syracuse as a five-star recruit out of high school before electing to bypass college and play in the G League. He then elected to bypass the G League and interned at New Balance to go with an endorsement deal. As an 18-year-old at 6-foot-8 with a seven-foot wingspan, Bazley boasts the frame of a prototypical versatile forward for today's NBA. He also averaged 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during his senior season at Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. That intriguing combination of size and high-school production led the Thunder, via a trade with the Jazz, to select Bazley with the 23rd overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.

Playing pickup, presumably healthy

FOklahoma City Thunder

June 5, 2020

Bazley (knee) was seen playing pickup games in Oklahoma City this week and is presumably healed from his right knee sprain, Erik Horne of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSISWhile there hasn't been official word that Bazley is cleared, reports in early February indicated that he'd be sidelined for about a month. Considering it's June and Bazley is playing pickup, he should be good to go once the season resumes.

Bazley started at power forward and finished with nine points (2-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 13 boards, one assist and one block across 31 minutes Saturday in the Thunder's 119-106 win over the Trail Blazers.